Device for handling freight in packages.



J.T.OLARK. DEVICE FOR HANDLING FREIGHT IN PACKAGES. APPLICATION FILEDOGTtZI, 1911.

1,109,964. Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

WITNESSES INVENTOR c/k9/1/v 7TCIZ/4A2n ATTORNEYS TH E NORRIS PE rERsCO.. PM om-LI "10.. WASH ING mu 0. ct

JOHN T. CLARK, or rinwronii, n. Y.

' Darren roe niinnmns rnnrenr IN rno zaens.

Original a plicati on filed Aug'ustB, 1910, Serial No. 576,353.

I, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914. Divided and this application' filed ()ctober 21,

1911. Serial no. 655,882.

'en of the United States, residing in the of New York, borough ofManhattan, county 1'- zad State of New York, have invented a certain newand useful Device for l andling Freight in Packages, of which thellowing is a specification.

This ii iention is a sling for handling 11 erchandise contained inbarrels, and similar packages, wherein the barrels are suspended in suchmanner that they cannot beome disengaged from the sling during theoperation of hoisting them.

llhe invention of this application is a division of a prior applicationfiled by me on August 9th, 1910, Serial No. 576,353.

The invention embodies two rigid loadengaging members each provided withtwo hooks adapted to engage eparately. with the two barrels, or otherpackages, to be hoisted, and a single flexible connection engagingloosely with said load-engaging members, said flexible connection beingadapted to exert strain uniformly on the load-engaging members in suchmanner as to draw them firmly into engagement with the components of thedivided load.

Other features of the invention, and the advantages thereof, will appearin the course of the following detailed description taken in con ectionwith the drawings.

in the accompanying drawings, 1 have illustrated one practicalembodiment of the invention, but the construction shown there in is tobe understood as illustrative, only, and not a defining the limits ofthe invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sling for hoisting barrels inaccordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side view illustrating thepositions of the parts when hoisting, and F 3 i a detail front View ofone of the load-engaging members.

A, B designate the load-engaging members and G the flexible connection,the said parts comprising the sling of this invention. Eachload-engaging member is preferably triangular in form, and is composedof metal, preferably bar or rod metal, the same being bent to form aneye or ring (5 at the upper middle part of the member. From this ring oreye, the arm of the mem er diverge in a downward direction, each armbeing provided with a hook or claw e. As

an upward direction.

shown, the lower part of each arm is widened and bent outwardly and thenupwardly, so that the hook or claw is positioned on one side of the armand faces in The claw shown is wider than the arm and is provided withiilpwardly pointing teeth, whereby the claw is adapted to so firmlyengage with a barrel, at the chime thereof, as to preclude slipping. Theflexible connection is composed, preferably, of a rope, cable,- or thelike Said connection extends loosely through the eyes cl of thetwo loadmembers, the ends of said connection being united so that the connectionis in the form of a loop.

My sling is used as follows: The two members are positioned at therespective ends of the; two barrels X, Y-to be hoisted, said membersextending transversely to the barrels so that the hook at one end ofeach member will engage with one barrel and the hook at the opposite endof the member e11- gages with the other barrel. The members thus span orbridge the space between the barrels constituting the load, and said members extend upwardly from the load, at the ends thereof. The loop orconnection G extends between the members so as to unite them, and whenthe load is suspended during the hoisting operation, said loop drawsupon the members so as to move them to the inclined positions shown inFig. 2.

Preparatory to hoisting the load, the hook f of a fall block F isengaged with the loop C, and the load is raised or lowered by theoperation of a fall rope G, the latter being reeved through the fallblock. The pull of the fall-block hook f is exerted cen trally on theupper member of the loop 0 so as to result in the member assuming thetri angular form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and this flexible loop in turnimposes strain uniformly on the two'load-engaging members, whereby theclaws are pulled into tight engagement with the barrels composing theload and said barrels are caused, by the weight thereof when the load issuspended, to impinge against each other. The members are thus held intoengagement with the barrels so securely that the load cannot becomeaccidentally dislodged from the sling when hoisting the load, but whenthe load is deposited upon a floor, dock, or other surface, and thestrain is relaxed on the fall line, the claws of the members can bereadily disengaged from the barrels, or the members will. themselvesdrop away from the barrels so to become disengaged there fromautomatically.

The sling is simple and strong in construction, economical tomanufacture, and easy and. rapid of manipulation so as to connect it to,or detach it from, the barrels. The sling may be used in many places,such as the hatchways of vessels and of stores and warehouses, and itaitlords a simple and efiicient means for rapidly and economicallyhandling freight in barrels, or analogous containers.

Having thus fully described. the invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a sling of the classdescribed, the combination of a plurality of rigid load-en gagingmembers each having upwardly converging arms and provided at their lowerends with upwardly facing hooks or claws, said load-engaging membersbeing positioned to span the space between two barrels of a load and thehooks or claws of each member being adapted for engagement with therespective barrels at the ends thereof, a single flexible loop looselyengaged with the upper portions of said load-engaging members, and afall line detachably connected to the upper part of the loop at a pointbetween, and equidistant from, the rigid load-engaging members.

In a sling of the class described, the combination of two substantiallytriangular load-engaging members each composed of rigid material andeach provided at the upper part with an eye and at the lower partsthereof with upwardly pointing claws, a single flexible loop runningloosely through the eyes of the respective load-engaging members, saidload-engaging members being positioned to span two barrels of a load,and a fall line connected with the loop so as to exert stress thereon.between the load-engagin;- members so that the load-engaging memberswill draw the components of the load into contact with each other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence oi two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN 1. CLARK.

Witnesses:

EDGAR C. Ln BLANC, MARY C. GOODMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. C.

